2019 Sub 3 hour marathon thread (Read 287 times)

JTReeves

posted: 1/3/2019 at 8:01 PMmodified: 3/17/2019 at 5:56 PM

Welcome to the 2019 Sub 3 thread!

Although this thread is primarily for those training for a sub 3 hour marathon, dedicated marathoners of all abilities are welcome to contribute. Those who have been lurking... now is the time to un-lurk and get back at it!

Try to not only post your week regularly, but also give feedback/encouragement to your fellow runners and participate in the discussions. If you never give feedback you're unlikely to get any. In the down time between marathon cycles, folks will sometimes disappear, but you are encouraged to stick around, even if your weeklies aren't that exciting.

Please post a brief running bio, and state what your goals are for 2019. Also, please let me know what your goal races are (name, date, and goal time if you have one); this need not be limited to marathons, but should be kept to key races that are important (not a turkey trot you are jogging). I'll put together a table on this first page and keep it updated with results and new races/new posters as they pop up.

I'll get things started with my bio. 43 year old male, married, 14 year old son, also a runner. 5 cats and 2 dogs. Living in western Connecticut, close to the NY state border. I ran in high school and college (DIII school where anybody could join the teams). I was always at the back of the pack, but loved to run. In graduate school I stopped running, and with marriage and family did not get back to it until I was 37. I ran my first marathon at 39 years old in 3:16 and was hooked on the distance. First sub 3 was in 2016 (2:57) and most recent from Oct. 2018 was my best (2:52). This year my main goal is to break 2:50.

Goals for 2019:

1. Sub 2:50 marathon

2. Improve my HM PR

Races:

Spring marathon: TBD (Athens Ohio on April 14 is my current first option)

My name is Laura - 31, married with a 20 month old daughter. We live in Rochester, NY. I work in finance for my 'day job', but also work as an online running coach. I love coffee, beer and bourbon and yes I incorporate those into my own training - I believe it's something like balance? I was a track athlete in high school and college but really found the love of training and racing post-collegiately on the roads ( I really only liked racing when I was younger, not you know...working hard to make racing better). That's been the biggest change over the years is to be a student of the sport, keep learning, and loving the process and not just race day feels. Naturally this has made me better as a person and an athlete - and races that much better.

Between 2011-16 I ran 14 marathons and got my time from 3:46-2:58. Late 2016 & Early 2017 were spent starting a family (Daughter born April 2017), with summer/fall of 17 as my postpartum return to training consistently. 2018 was the grand return to distance. First few months of the year were spent learning how to train as a full time working mom with an infant - I made it work but man it makes these days feel a bit easier in a lot of ways(even when my toddler is being....a toddler). I ended up having a great training cycle, and with a lotta sweat and grit - won the Buffalo Marathon this year with a PR of 2:57 on a hot and humid day. I struggled over the summer and took a few months of downtime until mid-september when we got married, then found routine again after that. Fall was a great base building and have come back stronger than expected after the downtime. Won a hilly half dressed as Where's Waldo in October, and then broke my 5k PR in Nov and again in Dec.

So now - it's 2019.... I'm actually hoping to knock off my half PR this weekend at a local race as that has been a monkey on my back since 2015 and really want to get that out of the way. After that, 2019 is about stepping up. 2018 was showing up for me, learning to do things all over again this year I want to really see what I can do and take it to next level. I've committed to giving myself the year to chase an OTQ (2:45) which is scary as hell but SO fun to think about. Goal for the spring is to just see how much I can knock off to get closer and then will decide about fall goals (Basically, will I need 1 or 2 fall marathons).

Goal Races so far: NYC Half 3/17/19, Boston 4/15/19

JT- Thanks for starting the thread, glad to be back here and looking forward to following everyone's training again. I really enjoyed the camaraderie last year while training for Buffalo. Also I promise not to fall off face of the earth halfway through the year like last year LOL. Have you thought of any races to knock off that half PR - you definitely have more room for growth there (just like your marathon). Also, I'll probably see you at Erie, If I'm not running I'll probably still go like I did this year to cheer/coach some of our athletes.

Started running in May of 2012, I ran my first marathon In October 2013 In 2:58. Had some tough years personally from 2014-2016 and when things got back to normal my running also got better. I lost my mom on March 5 2017 which was just crushing. Got a stress fracture in October of 2017. Thought about retiring a number of times in the past 18 months. In fact for the first time in my running career I never planned anything past CIM 4 weeks ago, and then it all came back in one great morning. I now think most of my goals might still be in range. I am pretty aware of what my ceiling is in this sport. Would be great to get there.

2019 goals are to work on a bunch of 10k related stuff and then run the Eugene half in April. Then try to carve off a lot of time at CIM next December. They race is phenomenal by the way

HM: 1/17 1:18:53. FM: 12/18 2:46:04

Andres1045

posted: 1/4/2019 at 10:57 AM

JT - Thanks for getting this going! You were so close, training wise, to 2:50 this past year that I think it will be a lock.

Laura - Glad you're back! Sweet goal to get the OTQ. A friend I run with is going for that this Spring. I'm hoping to jump in some workouts with her, but we'll see if I'm able to keep up. I kinda doubt it.

Swim - I'm hoping you've turned a corner and can continue to knock off some big chunks! Looking forward to you build to the half.

Ok, so I'm going to give this another shot. I don't remember exactly what I said last year, but it was something about getting back to a decent number of miles and getting back on track. That didn't really happen. This year, I'm going to...get back to a decent number of miles and get back on track. I ran 2,600 miles in 2015, ~2,300 in '16 and '17, then 2,000 in '18. I'd like to get back to 2,400 or so.

My bio: 39yo, lawyer in Houston, 3 kids, ages 7, 6, and 5. I've always considered myself a runner. Even though my sport growing up was soccer, and I played a ton of that, I thought that I was a decent runner. But the reality is that I ran very little. I started running marathons at 23, but again, my training was to ramp up from 10 miles per week up to 25 or so about 6 weeks out. For my first 10 marathons, I don't know that I had a single week over 35 miles, and only a handful over 30. That also didn't get me too much as far as times went, topping out at 3:46.

When my 5yo was born, I decided I would start taking things seriously. But even then, it took me about a year to actually make good on that goal. By Fall of 2014 I had built up to the point where I could run 50 per week, and I did a full Hansons cycle averaging around 58 per week. During that cycle I dropped my 10k down from around 42 the previous years, to low 37. I got it in my head that I had a shot at sub 3. I didn't. But I did get a 3:09 in Houston (January 2015). It took me a couple more marathons to get under 3 (September 2015 I ran a 3:00:06...really), running a 2:59:58 in Boston 2016. I managed a 2:57:47 in March of 2017, and haven't done anything respectable since.

Part of that has been struggles with motivation. I've had a hard time remaining consistent for a full cycle dating back to that first Hansons cycle. Even my 2:57 was a crammed cycle (maybe 6 weeks of real training with a 10 day taper). I also have been fighting a right hamstring issue since March of 2016 that I just kind of assumed would never actually go away. After finally figuring out that the hamstring issue was tied to an overly tight psoas, I think I might be on the other side of that injury.

I had been penciling in a good go at my half pr (1:19:20) at the Houston Marathon/Half in two weeks, but I kind limped in to finish 2018. My left leg is now all out of whack. It's bothering me from above my hip down to my ankle. And it led to some bad ITB pain for a little bit. The thing is, I'm soooo much happier having this issue, knowing it should be easier to shake than the hamstring. I think I'm only a week or so away from having it all sorted out. So while I've given up any hope of doing much in two weeks, I do plan to continue the build up and give it another go at a good full marathon this Spring. It would be great to say that I will be targeting something under 2:50, but there's just no telling what the cycle will bring. I'll start to think about a realistic goal once I have a few weeks of actual training in.

I'm still trying to figure out a goal marathon, but I'm eyeing April/May. I'd love to make Brighton work to run with Piwi and Mikkey, but that's going to be hard to pull off. I am thinking maybe Madrid, as I could turn that in to part of a work trip. I'm also considering Eugene, but for whatever reason that seems a little boring. Maybe not, though.

I use Strava as my primary log, but I try to upload or sync my runs here. Here's my Strava profile.

Upcoming races: I dunno.

steve_

powered by plants

posted: 1/4/2019 at 1:19 PM

Already some new (to me) faces here. Good stuff.

I'm turning 42 this year. HS teacher in NYC. Been running competitively since HS with some time off in college and post where I had dreams of becoming a professional cyclist. However, all I learned is that running is all I can really do. I started running marathons back in 2005 and shortly thereafter found the RWOL community in 2007. I broke 3 hours at Philly in 2007 and that stayed my PR until 2013 when I ran 2:57 in Brooklyn. My running (I thought) peaked from 2013 through early 2015 when I ran PRs in basically everything from the 5k and up. From 2015 through early 2018 I struggled with injuries and inconsistent racing. Last year I took on a coach for the first time since HS and that was that. Since then, I've PRd in every race I've run under his training including 15k, 10M, half and full marathons.

I have no marathon plans this year. Not sure about after that. This year I'd like to go after 17:30 for the 5k and 36:30 for the 10k. I'm also going to make a run (hopefully) at under 80 in the half on a legit course. If the marathon bug does bite me again, at least I know I can register for Harrisburg and find a hotel 2 weeks out.

Nice, I popped in and saw this new thread. Thanks so much JT for setting this one up!

JT: Agree with Andres that you will be very close to a sub 2:50 the next time around.

Lela: Great bio! Awesome goal to shoot for as well. Best of luck in your upcoming half race!

Swim: Thinking you have also turned the corner and are looking at some fast times ahead.

Steve: Think you will continue to improve your times and also think you have a great shot at sub 80.

Andres: Glad you think you nipped the hamstring issue and hope you get that other leg sorted out. Certainly believe that consistency is the next ingredient to you getting back to much faster times. Best of luck at the Houston half!

My short bio: I'm 38, married (no kids), and live and train in Melbourne, FL. My wife and I both grew up and met outside Buffalo, NY and still consider that "home" since all of our family is still up there. I work as a meteorologist for the Air Force (hence my handle) and am extremely lucky that I get a few hours each week from my scheduled 40 to train and run. Never ran growing up, but was fairly active playing tennis and ice hockey for a number of years before becoming completely inactive during my mid and late 20's getting overweight and having other related heath issues. Started my current job in 2009 and decided to take advantage of my allotted fitness time and one day decided to go for a jog. This eventually turned into a daily routine and within a few years had signed up for my first half marathon (ran a 1:44 at Disney). Then eventually signed up for a full marathon the next year (also Disney) and believe I ran just over 3:10. This was all on some decent training mileage wise, but really no dedicated workouts. After some more races, most of them HM's, decided I would try to qualify for Boston. I eventually did that following a slightly better plan where I faded to a 3:07 on a warm and muggy day. Over the last 2-3 years I've now adapted a more disciplined regime where I've seen my times at just about all distances improve from the 5K to the marathon. I've run Boston the last 2 years (we won't mention the conditions at either) and in 2018 I ran well over 3,800 miles as I've pretty much gone full time in running after dropping my weekly hockey gig in late 2017. I've also now adapted a Daniels style approach to my training since about mid 2017 after following Pfitz for about a year.

Highlights in 2018 were certainly the sub 2:49 Orlando marathon where I got into a semi-sprint at the finish and lost by 1 second on yet another warm day. Also set a PB of 2:57 several months later at Boston during a pacing gig and what I would consider the coldest I have ever been in my life! Worked on some base and speed training during the summer and early fall and finally broke 17 in the 5K during a short trip to Buffalo on a very cold and somewhat windy day. Followed that up with a new 16:44 PR several weeks later at a local turkey trot. Then set a new half PR of 1:17:15 in Orlando in early December where I started a bit fast given the weather, stumbled a bit mid race, only to re-group over the final 5K to finish strong. So overall 2018 was pretty much a breakthrough year in many ways. I think it was the culmination of big volume over the last 2-3 years and addition of targeted workouts for specific races.

Goals for 2019 are to simply try and improve on my times from 2018, have fun, and stay healthy. Thinking my current workouts indicate something well under 2:45 (or even 2:40) for my next marathon, but with that being Boston there are just so many wildcards. I would like to have a redo on a HM if good weather conditions come up in the next 2-3 months as I believe I might have a shot at something under 1:16. Finally, I'll continue to do some local shorter races throughout the year, but tend to use these more as fitness indicators more than anything, but it will be interesting to see where my 5/10K times go as well.

So only scheduled goal race so far is Boston 2019. Looking at a HM as well.

You can also find me on strava where I keep all my running related training

[as I recall, someone listed me as one nominee, but I claimed an exemption, since I managed the 3:20 thread in 2018 - it's that jury duty thing, amirite?]

My bio:

Darkwave - female and 44 years old. I'm in the part of Northern Virginia that is essentially Washington DC without the negatives of living in DC proper. About 50% of my weekly mileage is run in DC or Maryland, not Virginia.

I race pretty much everything from the mile (road only) to the marathon. I avoid track races and I hate trails - I'm an asphalt/concrete princess. I started running 11 years ago, at the age of 33, so I'm an adult onset runner. My previous sport was horses - hunter-jumper to be exact. If you want to see me riding at the age of 17, it's here.

I train with a coach and a team (same coach for 8 years now, I think). It's worked very well for me.

I have moderate-to-severe asthma (that's what they call it), am allergic to a whole slew of stuff, and have a bunch of auto-immune issues to boot. I have not, as of yet, been diagnosed with hypochondria. The asthma and allergies are managed fairly well with medication (all carefully checked to ensure it's allowed under WADA/USADA); I control the autoimmune stuff mainly by lifestyle (diet, etc) and occasionally meds.

(I'm good with punctuation and grammar in general, but abuse parentheticals)

I have a law degree and do ediscovery/workplace monitoring work for a large international corporation. I telecommute full time and live very close to a track and an indoor pool - very convenient for training. If you're wondering how I fit stuff in - that's how.

I live with my boyfriend/partner of a decade and three cats, all defective (one has severe allergies, the other two are visually impaired). A horse that is sound enough to live happily as a "pasture ornament" but can't be ridden completes our collection.

PRs as of January 4, 2019: Mile: 5:25; 5K: 18:51; 10K: 38:56; 10M: 1:03:55; Half: 1:24:22; Full: 2:57:42. The half and full PRs are from 2018; all others from 2017. My hope for the first few months of 2019 is to get all those shorter race PRs updated.

Goal races so far for the spring are the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in April and Broad Street 10 Miler in May. Still trying to map out the other races.

1) is the Strava weekly thing mandatory or optional? I'd prefer not to use, since I do so much crosstraining and the entry ends up looking messy and hard to follow.

2) There is an April race in Massachusetts that can never be referred to by name on the 3:20 thread, lest awful things happen. I can't remember if that's forum-wide (from the old RWOL) or just 3:20 specific. We can use the "B-word" here, correct?

***

JTReeves - 5 cats and 2 dogs is muy impressive. I'd love to give a home to a few more cats, but I'm limited by our open floor plan house (and also my boyfriend). Our cats need to be separated when eating, and I only have so many rooms to herd cats into.

Lela - good luck in the half!

Swim - agree with you on CIM. If it wasn't on the other side of the country, I'd consider doing it every year.

Andres - hamstrings are hard - my experience was similar to yours, with the psoas being key. I totally get your feeling about the relative relief of the left leg issue being easier to shake. Could the left leg issue be correlated with the right hammy thing in some way?

steve_ - I think I've said this before, but it's good to see you here. I remember you from the old RWOL when I was a very new poster mostly lurking on the marathon training boards. So kinda cool to be on a thread with you.

Weather - there is irony (or, perhaps, symmetry) in someone with your handle and profession running so well in a variety of harsh weather conditions.

2) There is an April race in Massachusetts that can never be referred to by name on the 3:20 thread, lest awful things happen. I can't remember if that's forum-wide (from the old RWOL) or just 3:20 specific. We can use the "B-word" here, correct?

We say it loud and proud here, mainly because your trick doesn't seem to be working. So. ..BOSTON

I'll post my bio soon, been lazy with the injury. Gonna test it out tomorrow, sort of getting to the point where I just wanna get going and I can't imagine in another week it's going to feel miraculously healed. Hoping it's just something I have to work through, but won't be completely reckless if it feels just as sore tomorrow as it did during my first run after I felt it.

1) is the Strava weekly thing mandatory or optional? I'd prefer not to use, since I do so much crosstraining and the entry ends up looking messy and hard to follow.

2) There is an April race in Massachusetts that can never be referred to by name on the 3:20 thread, lest awful things happen. I can't remember if that's forum-wide (from the old RWOL) or just 3:20 specific. We can use the "B-word" here, correct?

Don't feel obligated to use the Strava weekly generator; whatever format is convenient to list what you've done is the way to go. And yes, you can use obscene, highly offensive and hideous words like "Boston" here

Darkwave: Separating the cats when they eat could get tricky! I'm seeing a trend here that those who get a coach are very happy with the results. It's cool that you can run with a team as well. I miss the team atmosphere from running in school.

Weather: 2019 should be another big year for you. I think you've found your sweet spot in terms of training; both mileage and type of quality with the Daniels plan. I won't be surprised to see a 2:3x marathon time from you this year.

Steve: Interesting that you were really into cycling; what made you switch back to running? Looks like some excellent goals for the shorter distances. It will be fun to follow your training for that.

Andres: Glad to see you here. I hope you've conquered the injury issues. You've got a lot of talent and based on your half PR should be able to get well under 2:50 with an injury free cycle. Would be cool if you could do Brighton and see Piwi and Mikkey.

Swim: It will be great to see your training for the shorter stuff. You're already very fast but still have much more time to cut. I hope the positive trend in your life and running continues.

Laura: Welcome back! You already have an impressive running resume, and I like the OTQ goal. Good luck in the half this weekend; you should easily better your PR. I would also like to run a half PR, though am not sure where. All the HMs in my area are hilly and/or the timing won't work for my races (1 week before). So I'm still looking for a good half. Would be cool if you ran Erie in the fall. I chose it because it is super flat and looks beautiful. Have you run it before?

steve_ - I think I've said this before, but it's good to see you here. I remember you from the old RWOL when I was a very new poster mostly lurking on the marathon training boards. So kinda cool to be on a thread with you.

Ha...thanks. I have you beat in the cat department however. We have 6. 2 are totally blind and one is half blind. Our alpha is on prozac for anxiety and the other 2 are "normal". I have tattoos of all of them.

Steve - awesome on your passion. Do really like my my job overall, but we don't get to do the day to day weather analysis and forecasting which was my original passion going back to my college days and I've sort of lost that skill set as the years go by!

Darkwave: I've always joked to never invite a meteorologist to a race

JT: Even though it sounds incredibly daunting to think about a sub 2:40 do think I might have a shot if the conditions and/or course allow. So many variables within the marathon so not going to take anything for granted.

JMac: Hope the foot behaves itself and you can get back on the horse heading towards Boston! Don't jeopardize anything long-term though!